MEDIA LIBRARY

Employees celebrate MLK Day by serving homeless

More than 250 Delta employees, and their friends and family members, celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by volunteering their time to give back to those in need at Hosea Helps 46th annual dinner.

Delta was the exclusive sponsor of the Hosea Helps, formerly known as Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, MLK Day event. Employees from various work groups across the company participated in the event, including Cyril Turner, S.V.P – Delta Private Jets and Delta Global Services, who served the first meal.

During the day more than 9,000 clients were served and 5,000 meals were delivered to homes for senior citizens and other individuals that were unable to join the services at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. In addition to serving full course meals, volunteers also assisted with traditional Hosea Helps services including a haircut and style, clothing, medical care, legal aid, on-site employment services and more.

To further continue the mission of Hosea Helps, Delta provided Elisabeth Omilami, CEO of Hosea Helps, and the Hosea Helps organization with a surprise check for $10,000.

“Since we live in the city of Atlanta and see the homeless situation in our neighborhood alone, I wanted to do something to help these individuals have a bright day,” said Kathy Locklear, Manager – Strategic Sourcing. “Though it is technically a holiday, our volunteers looked at today as a day on, not a day off, and another opportunity to give back to our local community. I also felt it was important for my daughter to join me for a few hours and open her eyes to others in need.”

Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless was founded in 1971 by civil rights icons Rev. Hosea and Juanita T. Williams. Their vision was instrumental in guiding Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless as it became one of the most significant human services organization in the Southeast, providing services for some 50,000 people per year. Since its founding in 1971, Hosea Helps has distributed more than $3 billion in food, clothing, medical, educational, toiletries, furniture and cleaning supplies to 16 Georgia counties, three states and to the Philippines, the Ivory Coast and Uganda.

Hosea Helps prevents homelessness by providing rent, mortgage and utility assistance, as well as offering financial literacy and GED classes. Additionally, Hosea Helps distributes school supplies and book bags to children and hosts annual Christmas children’s party. Hosea Helps also provides intensive case management support to programs to teach recipients how to develop small businesses and co-ops and provides leadership training to independent farmers.